Federal law expands training for doctors treating memory loss diseases

What it does

The bill continues and expands the Project ECHO Grant Program. This program trains doctors to treat hard-to-manage health problems. The bill adds memory loss and Alzheimer's disease to what the program covers. It says grants can go to public groups and nonprofit companies. It extends money from 2022–2026 to 2027–2031.

Who it affects

Doctors and training groups get grants to learn about memory loss and Alzheimer's care. People with these diseases and their families benefit from better-trained doctors. Public health groups and nonprofit hospitals receive the grants.

One thing to notice

The bill extends money for five more years. The actual cash depends on Congress passing yearly spending bills.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

97 cosponsors: 74 Democrats, 23 Republicans.

• Jun 5, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 5, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
• May 13, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• May 21, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 48 - 0”
• Jul 20, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4644)”
• Jul 20, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 5 reports from Jun 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $5,450,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 17 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 72% of bills with any report.

Troy Balderson, who sponsored the bill, received $1,140,882 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Alzheimer's Association — $3,590,000 in 2 reports
• Biogen — $1,060,000 in 1 report
• Eisai Inc. — $790,000 in 1 report
• General Federation of Women's Clubs — $10,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• Project ECHO Grant Program — A program that trains doctors to treat hard-to-manage health problems.
• memory loss — A disease that affects how people remember and think.
• Alzheimer's disease — A type of memory loss that causes confusion in older people.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.